The Truth About 2010

Our Christmas this year was the perfect finish to 2010. We expected presents to be sparse this year, but somehow we had an abundance of presents under the tree and we felt very blessed. Uncle Mark got to spend Christmas with us again this year. We spent Christmas Eve at my grandpa's house and Christmas Day at my house. We had an awesome dinner of my mom's homemade lasagna.

Uncle Mark Peters, Mom (Dee Eslick), Kyle, Vivian, Brent, Lauren, Me, Keira, Art

Art, Keira, Me, Dad (Ken Eslick), Sheila, Christine, Vivian, Brent, Grandpa Don Eslick and his sister Aunt Ina, Kyle, Nick, and Lauren

2010 was a year fraught with peril and filled with blessings. I spent half of the year unemployed which was definitely challenging on our family. Thankfully Art is making a better wage this year so we weren't so didn't struggle so desperately as we did last year. Art is still working nights at Winco- going on 6 years.

Art celebrated his 27th birthday on New Year's Eve, Keira turned 2 in October, and I remain 24 until March. When Lauren turns 20 this week, all of my siblings will be in our 20s for the next 3 years until Brent turns 30.

I just started another part-time job working 9-1 for Fresno Management Company, a property management company near Riverpark. It's still too soon to form an opinion about it, but I'm hoping that it is the right job for me and that I can stay there for a long time. I'd like more than anything to be able to stay home with Keira, but we're not quite there yet. We still need for me to be making a little money to make ends meet.

We have been trying to get pregnant since DECEMBER 2009. Yes, it's now January 2011 and we have had no such luck. It took 10 months to get pregnant with Keira, but I was hoping it would be faster this time since I wasn't on birth control since she was born. For some reason unknown to me, it's taking even longer this time. We are trying to be patient and remember that these things happen on the Lord's time, but it's hard. My doctor doesn't seem concerned. He is of the attitude that "I have been pregnant before- I will get pregnant again." I wish I felt so confident. I have had a problem with a complex ovarian cyst over the past year, but that shouldn't be preventing pregnancy and there are no other issues that the doctor can find.

Trying to get pregnant and being unemployed definitely put a strain on our relationship in the past year. It has been a challenge to stay focused and not let our trials come between us, but we are pushing forward and will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary this year. We have been together for nearly 6 years. We are making our best efforts to be sealed in the temple and we are getting very close. Art has come such a long way since he joined the church over 3 years ago. Besides getting along, our final challenge has been for both of us to pay our tithing. That's a hard thing to do knowing that if we pay it, we won't be able to pay our bills, but we have taken a leap of faith and we have been blessed so far.

We spent the whole year healthy and enjoyed an abundance of time with our family. Nearly every Saturday spent at my mom's house enjoying her home-cooked meals and sharing movies and games with my siblings. It's hard NOT to visit my mom when every day Keira's waking words are, "Grandma's house?" We welcomed my younger brother, Kyle, home from his mission in November and Keira loves him just like her other uncle and aunts.

Well, that's the truth about the past year- the good and the bad. I did you a favor and omitted the ugly. Although I have made no formal resolutions, I am simply hoping last year's obstacles will become this year's strengths. Happy New Year to all of my family and friends. May this year be everything we hope it to be.